A method is disclosed for braking electrically driven vehicles, in particular rail vehicles. In at least one embodiment, the behavior of the brake system is configured directly as a function of the system state, i.e. the operating conditions of the vehicle, such as for example the laden state of the vehicle, temperature of the engines and in particular of the magnets, as well as redundancy requirements, and therefore permit the fully functioning mechanical brake which is present in vehicles nowadays to be eliminated. The method of at least one embodiment for braking electrically driven vehicles which are equipped with spring-store-based friction brakes and whose motive drive is provided by way of permanently excited synchronous machines whose terminals are connected via switches to devices which generate a braking torque includes an open-loop or closed-loop controller being activated and the controller connecting the brake system of the engines which are present and the spring-store-based friction brakes into the circuit individually and successively as a function of the operating conditions of the vehicle and the required brake values.